A Kunai for your Thoughts
by EightFives
Summary: This follows the story of two shinobi as they try to find their place in the world, however as tension between countries mount and the hidden villages become embroiled in the struggles of incompetent Daimyo and corrupt merchants will they be able to find themselves or will they just end up as smoke in the wind. Afterall if your part of Harbour you never really existed to begin with


**So this is my attempt to write a Naruto fanfiction. While I can understand some people enjoy reading/writing fics where the main character is capable of soloing akatsuki by themselves or destroying a hidden village like it was nothing I am afraid to say I am not one of those people, therefore in this fic while I want my main characters to be strong they will not be ridiculously so, if they are going to win battles against tough opponents then they are going to have to work for it(Cue manic author laugh)**

**The second point I would like to make about this fic is that it will not be about the main characters becoming strong in a stupid short amount of time so if all goes to plan don't expects there to be any sort of power ups going on, while characters will continue to grow stronger I want to do it at a controlled pace as they are already starting out fairly strong(think special jounin in assassination/infiltration style roll and you will get the idea)**

**Next up is that this story will be set in a slightly AU narutoverse. This is so that I can bring it in to line with what I believe is a more realistic take as I don't agree with all aspects of the show.**

**These include changes such as they will graduate from the academy at around 16-17 years(The sort of age that it is possible to begin military training in the uk) old for example(seriously what thirteen year olds would stand a chance against professional adults?)**

**While using chakra allows ninja to perform feats that would normally be considered superhuman i'm going to limit how far it can go exactly. For instance they can still run up walls and walk on water but they wont be able jump fifty feet in the air.**

**When writing the combat i'm going to try and make it more realistic for example ninja like gai and rock lee suddenly wont be able to blur out of sight and appear behind opponents, they will still be extremely fast however im hoping to try and make it seem more like real life would happen(jutsu and all you see). Also characters will take a slightly more realistic approach to combat(not going round shouting out the jutsu there going to try and execute)**

**As for changes in the verse, the Uchiha massacre never happened, Kyuubi did attack Konoha however it was able to be sealed without costing Minato and Kushina their lives so there still about. The relationships between countries/hidden villages will be much more dire than there are portrayed as in the animé.**

**While i'm writing my story I am going to attempt to input how the plot affects things such as politics and relationships within the narutoverse so I hope this story comes out as much more than just kill all the bad guys to save the day.**

**There are other things I will probably change as i'm writing however I think this covers the main points of how I am actually going to write my story.**

**however I do of course realise that this is all from my perspective and other peoples views may vary therefore if you have anything constructive to point out to me I would be more than happy to listen.**

**This story will be rated as MA due to likely portrayal of graphic violence in later chapters.**

**Disclaimer – The Naruto Verse and associated Media are intellectual properties of Masashi Kishimoto and the creators of the anime. I am using their material to write a story merely for the sake of writing a story. Any ocs and ideas in the story that are not property of above entities may be of my own creation or a mis-match of ideas that have been gleaned through life therefore I feel that I have no claim to these and anyone may freely use them.**

**Reviews are always welcome and appreciated as not only does it give me feedback on my work and encourages to continue writing this fic so please review if you feel like doing do :)**

**So with all that out of the way lets get to the good part. Heres the story!**

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As the blade came slashing across he managed to roll away at the last second as the sharp steel cut off a few strands of dark hair, however this fact remained unnoticed by both the combatants as they continued in their life and death struggle. The samurai, seeing his opponent try to get away from him, continued to press his assault striking with increasing ferocity as he tried to gain the upper hand and though while the other figure was ducking and weaving to avoid the attacks was slowly giving ground until unexpectedly the samurai over extended leaving himself open and the amber eyes peering out of wrappings on the figures face almost seemed to look grateful as he stepped inside the samurai's guard delivering a harsh elbow strike into the unprotected base of the surprised samurai's neck causing him to immediately drop to the floor.

A sudden shout drew the figures attention to the side as two more samurai came charging towards him. As the closest opponent brought his sword up over his head to prepare for a strike the figure reached a gloved hand into a holder strapped to his thigh and brought a kunai up into a reversed grip in front of his chest to deflect the incoming slash but suddenly the samurai shifted his bodyweight causing his momentum to suddenly slow and attempted to jab the handle of his katana at his opponents face however the figure appeared to read his oppositions movement well as he leant back to avoid the jab to the face and shifted his left arm to direct the force away from his body while the kunai in his right hand stabbed at exposed armpit of his opponent forcing the samurai to break off and jump away from the combat.

It seemed he had already accomplished his part of the plan though as the second samurai suddenly charged from his exposed flank to cut at the side of his neck as the figure desperately bought the kunai up to defend and met the blade in a screeching of metal before the kunai snapped but it had served its purpose as it gave the figure time to duck under the arc of the blade but the experienced samurai didn't panic and drove a knee up towards the figures face who managed to bring his arm down to block the strike but caused him too loose his balance and fall to the ground.

As the samurai moved in to deliver the final blow he was suddenly forced to react quickly bringing his gauntleted fist up as the figure threw the broken remains of his kunai at the samurai's face causing it to spin off into the darkness however the figure used the time this distraction bought to slip a hand into the second holster strapped to his thigh and hurl a small bomb at the halted samurai which detonated upon contact causing a cloud of noxious smoke to engulf the area. The startled samurai quickly lunged through the smoke and slashed at where the figure had lain but his only reward was a loud clang as his sword struck the smooth stone of the flagstone floor, reacting quickly he spun around to deliver a hard punch to where the figure had been sneaking up behind him however as his fist made contact he was surprised to find it pass right through the image of the figure and this would be the last thing he ever saw as the he felt a prick in his back and the world suddenly span into darkness.

The figure lying on the ground mere inches from where the samurai's sword had left an angry gouge in the smooth floor was not given time to reflect on his success as the poisoned senbon had found its mark as the samurai that had led the charge came wading through the smoke and delivered a powerful kick to the figures side causing him to cry out in pain and roll away with the blow. The samurai upon seeing his comrades fate let out an angered shout and slashed out at his opponent only to find that he had grabbed the dead samurai's arm and used the gauntlet on the back of the hand to block the descending strike.

Following through with the hastily figured plan in his mind the figure twisted his hips manoeuvring his legs so one was in position over the front of the ankle and the other made contact with the back of the knee and then scissorered his legs causing the samurai's legs to crumple underneath him topple over as he lost his balance. The figure used the momentum of the falling samurai to gain leverage and shifted his position so he was able to move onto the samurai's back, twisting his arm in the process forcing the bone to snap with a loud crack making the samurai scream out in pain, before unsheathing the tanto that was strapped across his lower back and driving it through the samurai's armour cutting off the pained sounds he was making.

As quickly as it had started it was finished, seconds before when the room had been alive to the din of the brutal struggle over life and death an eerie and complete silence has swept over like fate was silently paying tribute to the encounter that had just been witnessed. The figure remained in the same position for some time seemingly lost in thought, breath coming in short ragged gasps due to the exertions of combat, before sliding out the tanto and wiping it clean on the clothes of the dead samurai and putting it back in its sheath. His hazel eyes now seemingly calm gazed over the scene assessing what needed to be done.

_No point trying to hide any evidence of this encounter, the smell of the smoke as well as the blood would leave a trace that would take to long to clean and I don't know any earth jutsus to hide the bodies, best thing now that I've been discovered is to move to the secondary plan. _

Even though it couldn't be seen the figures mouth formed into a small grimace as he muttered to himself.

"I'm going to have to try and sneak out of the castle rather than waiting for the samurai to drop their guard and leave as was originally planned, its amazing that nobody heard our fight just now but I guess most of the samurai are out of the grounds currently pursuing my partner, they probably didn't think there was a second assassin or that they would try and hide in the castle."

With the decision made the figure listened carefully once more to his surroundings to make sure that indeed there was nobody else around before reviewing all the information that had been given during the mission briefing and what he had learnt of the castles layout before coming to the conclusion that his best bet was to steal one of the servants uniforms and exit via the smaller, less closely guarded, keep gate used by those that served the lords family whose castle he was currently in.

_Invited or not but being an assassin that's not really a relevant point. Once out of the keep it should be easy enough to slip through the sewers until I reach the outer wall and by then it should be enough distance to safely use my chakra to get over the wall without being detected by any sensors they might have positioned here in the keep. I already had to cast a genjutsu to distract that samurai, if they detected it they might already be looking for me, its time to leave._

Completing a quick analyses of his gear and upon being satisfied everything was in order the figure moved towards the door before wincing slightly as rusty hinges complained being forced into movement before slipping into the corridor beyond and closing the door on the gruesome scene behind him.

Rubber souls ghosted silently down the hallway as the figure stealthily moved from shadow to shadow, avoiding the light cast by torches hanging from the wall like they where lethal to touch. As he approached a turning at the end of the corridor he withdrew a small dulled mirror from the small equipment satchel attached to his back and poked it out beyond the corner scanning to see what was beyond, upon seeing it was all clear he rounded the corner and continued down the passage before halting suddenly as the sound of tramping mail boots filled the corridor forcing the figure to dive behind a statue of ancient creature to avoid being detected as the patrol of samurai moved past the intersection and continued on down their path.

The figure held his breath, focusing intently on his surroundings for a few seconds before letting out a small sigh of relief

_That was unexpected and too close, if there hadn't been any cover they would have seen me for sure, it seems that since we carried out the assassination they've changed the patrol schedules and the guard shifts, who ever is in charge has at least some idea of what there doing. I should assume that any information I've received up until this point could now be worthless._

"I don't like this, too much is changing, its definitely time to pull out before my luck runs dry" He said quietly to know one in particular. "Still not like I have any right to complain, this was always going to be a tough mission and I knew that when our team accepted it."

Satisfied that the patrol was now a safe enough distance away he started forwards again keeping to the shadows straining his ears to catch any sound that might be made during the quiet night. The figure continued to progress through the castle, carefully making his was down until his nose picked up what his eyes had been searching for.

_Seems that at least the layout of the castle intelligence gave us was correct, I should be able to steal one of the spare cook uniforms and use it to bluff my way passed the guards at the gate._

The figure rapped sharply on the door before retreating around the corner and settled in to listen. After a few minutes when nobody has answered the knock the figure cautiously moved up to the door taking the handle and opening it slowly to listen for any noise that might come within before advancing into the room. Racks of cooking equipment hung alongside various cuts of meat that had been left out to thaw for the lords feast forgotten in the wake of the chaos that had erupted when he had been found lying dead in his bed. Quickly walking past these he walked to a series of lockers that were against one wall, opening them until he found what he was looking for, a cooks uniform that was at least similar to his size and shape.

_Guess my luck hasn't completely run out yet to find a uniform small enough to fit my size, did the lord have a thing for hiring tiny cooks? Either way it benefits me though._

The figure removed the holsters, tanto and equipment bag and placed them on one of the work tops before quickly changing into the chefs uniform. Once this task was complete he slid the tanto into the bagging area of clothing in the small of his back and strapped a couple of kunai under the loose sleeves before finally putting some ninja wire and smoke bombs into the hem of the trousers before stuffing the rest of the equipment into the locker and covering it with a few towels.

_Ideally I wouldn't leave my equipment behind but we made sure all the gear we bought came from the same suppliers that the hidden mist village use so there's no way it can be traced back to us, I just hope I can make it out of here before its discovered._

Finally the figure removed the wrappings from around his face. A somewhat young face was in surprising contrast to the hazel eyes that were currently looking around the room. A soft jaw line and no stubble gave off a somewhat boyish look that was completed by a rather normal looking mouth and nose. Fair skin and a few freckles dotted the area around the mouth gave the face a bit of character but apart from that it was the kind of face you would see a thousand times in a day but you would never be able to remember.

_A perfect face for an assassin like me I suppose._

Looking around he grabbed one of the trolleys used to transport the food and promptly started to fill it from the leftover scraps that had been set aside in a cooled area from previous cuts of meat that had been deemed unworthy for people such as the lord family to eat. The figure snorted at the thought.

_That's just ridiculous, this meat is easily far nicer than anything we were ever fed at harbour, and these people where just going to throw it away still for now there loss is my gain, time to go._

And with that he proceeded towards the exit pushing the cart of scraps as he went. Stepping out into the keep grounds the harsh cold climate of iron country hit him in full force causing him to shake and his teeth to start chattering. Grimacing the figure put his head down and started to make his way towards the smaller gate as the wind howled around him nearly toppling over the cart. The other denizens of the keep did not even spare him a glance as he slowly made his way through the keep, far more pre-occupied with trying to find some sort of shelter from the biting weather.

As he approached the gate a gruff voice called out

"Pysäyttää, Mikä yrityksesi?"("Halt, whats your business?")

"Keittiömestari sanoi heittää tähteet juhlaa."("Head chef said to throw these scraps out from the feast.") The figure replied biting off certain words to reflect what the local dialect of this part of iron county sounded like, gesturing to the cart he had bought with him.

The guard peered in at the food quickly rummaging throw to make sure there was nothing else hidden before quickly glancing around then back at the garrison where the rest of the guards currently were.

"Sano tämä liha on ihan kiva olla kauhea häpeä täytyy heittää kaiken pois, jos tajuatte."("Say this meat is pretty nice, be an awful shame to have to throw it all away if you catch my drift") The guard whispered conspiratorially.

The figure seemed to gain a look of intense concentration before breaking out into a smile

"te olette saan mitä saat osoitteessa."("yeh yeh I get what you're getting at.")

The guard smile backed.

"Hyvä poika niin sairas vain kestää jonkin näistä, ei niitä viisaampia ja voit olla oma iloisen tavalla, jos minulla oli yksi vähemmän mericfull vartijat Haluaisin vain kysyä teet meidät molemmat erottuvat täällä kylmä, mutta kumpikaan meistä haluaa, että nyt meillä"("Good lad so ill just take some of these, no ones the wiser and you can be on your merry way, if I was one of the less merciful guards I would just question you make us both stand out here in the cold but neither of us wants that now do we.")

The figure nodded back with a grin on his face

"Olette hyvin ystävällinen herra sen melko kylmä yö, kuten tänä iltana"("Very kind of you sir its rather cold a night like tonight")

And with that the guard hid the pieces of meat under his armour and proceeded to unlock the keep gate and allowed the figure to push the cart through before hearing a solid click as the gate locked shut behind him, he allowed himself a small smile.

_First part of the plan complete then, time to move to the next stage._


End file.
